Lettuce is a popular salad vegetable of cool climates. Lettuce is believed to be originated in the region comprising of the Mediterranean region and Siberia. Scientific name of Lettuce is Lactuca sativa. It is a hardy, annual herb plant belonging to the family Asteraceae, the sunflower family. Though it is grown for its edible leaves, sometimes its seeds and stems are also consumed as food. It is fairly easy to cultivate lettuce.

Botanical Description: The lettuce plants are annual herbaceous plants that grow up to a height of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm). Leaves are colourful, mainly green and red in colour. The plant has a tap root system with a main taproot and smaller secondary roots. Flower stalks reach up to 3 feet (0.9 m) high with small yellow blossoms. Its fruit has 5–7 ribs on each side and with two rows of small white hairs. Each fruit contains one seed. Seed colour varies depending upon the variety. It can be white, yellow, gray or brown depending on the variety.

Types of Lettuce: There are mainly two types of lettuce available in the market: the head forming lettuce and the non-head forming lettuce. Major among the non-head forming lettuce are leaf lettuce (red-leaf and green-leaf varieties), and romaine lettuce. Crisphead lettuce and Butterhead lettuce are head forming varieties of lettuce.

Leaf lettuce is also known as loose leaf lettuce or bunching lettuce because upon maturity this type of lettuce forms a loosely bunched cluster of leaves at the top of the stem. There are mainly two varieties of leaf lettuce- red-leaf lettuce and green-leaf lettuce.

Red Leaf Lettuce: Red leaf lettuce has a deep red tint to the edges of the leaves. It is mild in flavour and texture. It consists of five different species such as “New Red Fire Lettuce”, “Red Sails Lettuce”, “Redina Lettuce”, “Galactic Lettuce”, and the “Benito Lettuce.”According to USDA, a 100g serving of raw, fresh red leaf lettuce provides about 16 kcal of energy.

Green-Leaf Lettuce: Green Leaf Lettuce variety is also mild-flavored like red leaf variety. It has tender, delicate green leaves which are mainly used as a leafy green and also in salad preparations.

Different types of salads and fillings are prepared from lettuce leaves. Lettuce is a popular and major ingredient in many exotic, fresh, green salads because of its crispy, crunchy texture and peppery, nutty flavour.

Lettuce leaves are also used as a filling between sandwiches and burgers along with other ingredients such as cheese and sliced tomatoes. Lettuce leaves add a fresh, peppery flavour and crispiness to burgers and sandwiches.

Lettuce may also be used as a leafy vegetable. There are several ways of cooking lettuce such as boiling, steaming, and stir-frying. Chopped lettuce leaves may be added to soups and stews also.

According to USDA, a 100 g serving of fresh, raw green leaf lettuce provides about 15 kcal of energy. It is also rich in moisture, up to 95% of fresh weight. A 100 g edible portion of green lettuce contains 1.36g protein, 0.15g fat, 2.87g carbohydrate, 0.78g sugar, and 1.3g fiber.

Romaine Lettuce or Cos Lettuce: Scientific name of Romaine or ‘cos’ lettuce is Lactuca sativa var. longifolia. It is a heat-tolerant variety of lettuce. Romaine lettuce is mainly used in preparing Caesar salads.

Upon maturity a romaine lettuce plant produces a tall head of tightly bunched, sturdy crisp leaves with thick midribs. The milky fluid present in these thick midribs impart this lettuce its typical mild bitter flavour.

Romaine lettuce can be consumed both raw and cooked. According to USDA, romaine lettuce is a powerhouse of nutrients and a 100 g serving of fresh romaine lettuce provides about 17 kcal of energy.

Crisphead Lettuce or Iceberg Lettuce: Scientific name of crisphead lettuce is Lactuca sativa var. capitata. Crisphead lettuce is grown for its large compact heads with crisp leaves; therefore the crop is called crisphead. Though there are many types of cultivated lettuce crops, it is crisphead lettuce that is mainly produced on commercial scale.

Crisphead lettuce is also known as iceberg lettuce. This lettuce variety is heat sensitive, low in nutrients as compared to leaf and romaine varieties and contain higher water content. Sometimes flavour is also low in this variety of lettuce.

According to USDA, a 100g serving of fresh, raw iceberg lettuce provides about 14 kcal of energy. Water or moisture presence is about 95.6%.

Butterhead Lettuce: It is also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce. This is similar to crisphead lettuce in appearance with a head forming with a loose arrangement of leaves. Butterhead lettuce is known for its sweet flavor and mild, tender texture.

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